Minna Epps

Head of the Ocean team at the UICN (Geneva, Switzerland)

Minna Epps is one of the world's most prominent marine biodiversity specialists, and also a leading conservationist.

A marine biologist who studied at Imperial College, the Rhode Island School of Oceanography and UC Berkeley, she has worked on all kinds of marine ecosystems, and now heads up the Global Marine and Polar Programme at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (UICN), one of the world's largest conservationist organisations.

She is director of the IUCN Ocean team, where she oversees the operations and development of the programme by seeking new strategic partnerships. She is very much engaged in the Global Ocean Agenda, participating in various management groups, boards and high-level networks.

Minna has over 20 years of experience in international environmental work, primarily in the marine field, with everything from fieldwork in Madagascar to policy work in Geneva. She brings her experience from the Marine Stewardship Council, European Commission, UNEP, WTO, and also conservation NGOs.